Legal Internship Program

About World Bank Group

The World Bank Group works in every major area of development. They provide a wide array of financial products and technical assistance, and they help countries share and apply innovative knowledge and solutions to the challenges they face. Since 1947, the World Bank has funded over 12,000 development projects, via traditional loans, interest-free credits, and grants. Their mission is to end extreme poverty, by reducing the share of the global population that lives in extreme poverty to 3 percent by 2030, and to promote shared prosperity, by increasing the incomes of the poorest 40 percent of people in every country.

Your role

The World Bank Legal Internship Program allows individuals to bring new perspectives, innovative ideas, and the latest research experiences into the World Bank’s daily operations and improve their legal skills while working in a multicultural environment.

• The objective of the program is to provide you with first-hand experiences of the day-to-day operations of the World Bank by closely collaborating with staff in the Legal Vice Presidency.
• As part of the team, working directly with outstanding and inspiring development professionals and senior management, you will get the chance to contribute to the legal services offered by the Legal Vice Presidency as well as participate in high-profile events and conferences organized during the term of your internship.

Interns will likely be involved in a plethora of tasks, as they arise during the term of the Internship Program, such as:

• Conducting a variety of legal assignments under the direction of the supervising lawyer(s).
• Conducting research on assigned issues, using existing law files and alternative sources (e.g., computer-assisted searches using the internet, intranet, and/or other databases), analyzing information, and summarizing findings.
• Conducting comparative legal analyses on a range of issues in a given area, identifying legal and policy issues, researching relevant precedents, and proposing appropriate solutions.
• Participating in task/project teams with the supervising lawyer(s).
• Assisting in the preparation and organization of conferences and meetings.
• Performing ad hoc assignments as requested by the supervising lawyer(s).

Training, Development & Rotations

The World Bank Group offers unique programs that provide learning, staffing, and capacity-building opportunities for junior and mid-career professionals to experience first-hand what working at the WBG is like.

The World Bank Legal Internship Program is offered thrice a year for a period of a maximum of three months at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in certain selected country offices for currently enrolled law school students.

Salary & Benefits

The average annual salary for this role will range from INR 5 to 6 LPA ( Source: glassdoor). They will provide you with the opportunity to gain entry-level professional experience in a premier development institution, on a two-year, non-renewable Extended Term Consultant (ETC) contract with benefits. ​

• Health, Life, Accident, and Other Insurance Programs
• Pension Plan
• Relocation, Resettlement, and Expatriate Benefits
• Paid Leave
• Health Services Department
• Fitness Center
• Child Care
• Lactation Room

To learn more about their benefits click here

Career Progression

Working at the World Bank offers a fresh graduate or experienced professional numerous opportunities and a fulfilling work experience. The organization also has a lot of training programs and internships that employees can take advantage of to develop themselves professionally. Employees also learn and develop professionally through the team projects they embark on with more experienced colleagues.

Work-Life Balance

The WBG makes an effort to help staff achieve balance in their work and personal lives. The Bank strives to offer flexible work arrangements to provide a better work/life balance for staff. Some of the programs that are offered include telecommuting, alternate and reduced work schedules, flextime, job sharing, and home-based work. These arrangements are based on the discretion of the hiring manager, the business needs of the institution, and the specifics of each individual.

In addition, the Bank headquarters offers other services to assist in achieving a work/life balance.

Culture & vibe

WBG is committed to fostering and strengthening diversity and inclusion in both work and the workplace. They are committed to a workplace where everyone is valued, where differences are respected and celebrated, and where opportunity and equitable treatment are afforded to all. Ensuring diversity is integrated into their daily work means creating a culture and practices that recognize, value, and harness what makes every individual unique in the broader sense, by acknowledging and respecting differences including nationality, gender, and gender identity, race, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability, and educational background. 

About you

To apply for this role you need to have the following checklist:

Eligibility:

• Do you hold citizenship of any IBRD member state?
• Are you enrolled in an LLB, JD, LLM, SJD, Ph.D., or equivalent legal academic program while you are undertaking your internship with us?  (e.g. if you apply for the Summer Cycle of LIP, you must be enrolled in an eligible legal academic program between June and August)
• Do you have an excellent command of the English language?

If you have answered yes to all these questions, you are eligible to be an intern in the Legal Vice Presidency.  Preference shall be given to candidates who possess a decent command of a second language, especially if that is one of the working languages of IBRD (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish).​

Selection Process: 

• World Bank Legal Interns shall be selected through a competitive selection process.  The World Bank Group is an equal opportunity employer.

How to apply​

To apply for this role, click on the Apply button, which navigates to the career section where the application can be submitted easily.

you have to submit the following documents:

• Resume
• Statement of Interest
• Proof of enrollment in a law degree (LLB, JD, LLM, SJD, Ph.D., or equivalent) and academic transcript(s).
• Short essay providing a response to a research question posed by the Legal Vice Presidency for the prevailing application period.

All applications must be submitted during respective application periods.

• Summer Internship Program:
  • The application period will commence on December 1 and end on December 31 (The internship period is for 10-12 weeks, typically between June and August, depending on prevailing needs). This is an excellent opportunity for students looking to gain full-time professional experiences at the World Bank during the summer months while enrolled in a law program.
• Fall Internship Program:
  • The application period will commence on April 1 and end on April 30 (The proposed internship period is for 10-12 weeks, typically between September and November, depending on prevailing needs). This is an excellent opportunity for students looking to gain professional experiences at the World Bank in the form of externships during the academic year while enrolled in a full-time law program or for those enrolled in part-time and/or evening law programs. 
• Spring Internship Program:
  • The application period will commence on September 1 and end on September 30 (The proposed internship period is for 10-12 weeks, typically between March and May, depending on prevailing needs). This is an excellent opportunity for students looking to gain professional experiences at the World Bank in the form of externships during the academic year while enrolled in a full-time law program or for those enrolled in part-time and/or evening law programs.